Yucatán Fishermen Ask: Where Did the Octopus Go?

A week into 2026 octopus season, catches are running far behind what cooperatives are used to. What once took a single day to land — around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of octopus — is now taking nearly five days to reach. Nearly all boats in the region went out this past Monday, hoping production would pick up as the week went on. It hasn’t.

Fishing leaders blame two factors. First, predation. Second, unusually turbid waters — locally called xixosas — that moved through the area in July and pushed octopus away from the coast just before the season opened Aug. 1.

Prices haven’t offered much relief either. Octopus is fetching around MX$100 (about US$6) a kilogram, with no signs of a rebound, fishing leaders say. That’s actually higher than the MX$80 to MX$90 range Progreso’s fisheries director, Randyr Fabián Castillo Alférez, had projected before the season began. But with catches this thin, the better price hasn’t made up the difference.

Many fishermen are shifting their effort to lobster instead, which is proving far more profitable this season. Tail meat is selling for around MX$500 (about US$29) a kilogram, and live lobster for roughly MX$300 (about US$18). Live lobster is in especially high demand, and fishermen have developed techniques to keep it in good condition during transport to buyers, making it the more reliable payday for now.

It’s not the first time Yucatán’s octopus fleet has had a rough start. Yucatán Magazine reported a similarly bad season in 2019, when statewide catches came in roughly 50% below normal and some fishermen packed up before the season even ended. Regional outlet Por Esto! also documented complaints from fishermen in ports including San Felipe, Río Lagartos and El Cuyo earlier this month, citing both low catches and the use of banned fishing methods.

Octopus remains one of Yucatán’s most important fisheries. The state is Mexico’s leading octopus producer, and the endemic Octopus maya, known locally as pulpo maya or red octopus, accounts for roughly three-quarters of the annual catch. The industry supports an estimated 16,000 jobs along the coast and generates at least US$36 million a year in exports, mostly to Europe and Asia.

The season runs through Dec. 15, and this year’s official catch quota had not yet been finalized as of early August. Whether the octopus return before then is, for now, an open question along the coast.

Fast Facts

• Octopus season runs Aug. 1 to Dec. 15 in Yucatán
• Cooperatives once caught 500 kg (1,100 lbs) a day; now that takes nearly a week
• Octopus price: about MX$100 (US$6) per kilogram
• Lobster tail: about MX$500 (US$29) per kilogram; live lobster: about MX$300 (US$18) per kilogram
• Octopus maya makes up roughly 75% of the region’s catch
• Fishery supports an estimated 16,000 jobs and US$36 million in annual exports

With reporting from Diario de Yucatán and Por Esto!, with background from Mexico’s Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural